Beauty in Worldly Chaos

After two weeks of training I can finally say that I am ready to go to the Netherlands and Germany! For those of you who don't already know, I will be doing photojournalism in Western Europe for Eastern Mennonite Missions. I will start in the Netherlands, then travel to Brussels, Belgium, and make my way to Halle and Kaiserslautern, Germany, then back to the Netherlands. Here are some maps so you can wrap your head around where these places are:

I will be following different families and seeing how they have made an impact in their communities. I have the opportunity to witness how the churches and communities are growing in Westen Europe. I am curious to find out how their communities are being impacted by the refuges that Germany is hosting. There are thousands of refugees being brought in to Germany. It is said that there have not been this many refugees in Europe since World War II. I was so privileged to have met 13 friends, and 4 wonderful teachers during the two weeks of training at the Immerse International Center. We grew so close in just the first two days that it was like leaving family behind today! I don't know if I will see them again. I do know that even though we are going out to different places in the world, I'm sure that each one of them will touch those they meet in some way with their shining light. { John 20:21 (Jesus speaking) "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." } I am excited to go and I'm hoping that through these last three days I'm in the United States, I am able to continue to follow Romans 12:1-2 "Do not conform to the pattern of the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."